Chain anchor for brake gears



April 3, 1928.

A. F. OCONNOR CHAIN ANCHOR FOR BRAKE GEARS Filed Fe 14. 1927.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 3, 1928.

A. F. O'CONNOR CHAIN ANCHOR FOR BRAKE GEARS 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Feb. 14, '1927 Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

' ",uNirasrAr i (E L r ARTHUR FL o'lqo vivogor onrQAc-giqanors, ASSIGNOR 'ro UNIQlYQIEWhYEQUlP- mamcomam 9 ecu-meg IL OIS e a olrema er'j eeoieis 34 1? new FRBBA1E A S:-

. Application filed Februaril, 1927. S,eria1-:No;167,a30.

In the modern construction'of hand brakes for freight cars, it is required that gearing be provided to enable the hand brake to,

apply a braking power equal to that afforded by air brakes, and to meet this requirement, gears have been 'employedlior transmittingpower from the hand wheel shaft to the chain winding drurnwith 'a viewof increasing the power ratio to the required degree. In these circumstances; it is ci'istonb ary to secure the'br'ake chain to some portion of the largeogear, whichfisj-thewinding'element in the gear train, and in order to provide for a quick take up of the sl ack in the "chain, so that-the effective setting of the 'brakesma'y quickly follow; it is desirable that thebrakechain be secured to some portion of the large winding gear at-soine d s 7 tance from its axis, so that a partial rotation only of the large 'gear is required inorder -to take up the slack I The present invention is directed to the means provided for securing the winding end of the brake chain to the winding gear in such a way as to prevent. the fouling'or cramping "of 'the chain, which sometimes theigear wheel in drawing the chain around the drum.

v a. o chain from the gear wheel by suitable manipf The present invention is designed to aliord time, ton ake provision "for-the easy and convenient engagement ,or removal of the ul'ationfand at the 'sarne' time to guard f against accidental displacement of the parts.

In:the drawings: 1 a 1 Figure 1 is aplan viewof-the gear assembly a of the present i'nvention, partially broken away to show the-position of the chain and hooked connection therefor;

2 is' ,afview'partially in section, the

being taken on line 2-2 f-sectioned portion 'ofFigll; I

3 isa front v ewof the gear assem Fig.

my; and I fFigQflis apers'pective-view drum hooked e a aca a cagn ofthe presentinvention.

l. such a swiveling act on, and',' at the same I The geariasseinblyeas a whole comprises 1 a driving pinion" 10; mounted iliipon. the squared lower end of the v,hand' brake. shaft 11, which pinion ine'shes wi th Ia largepiwinding gear l2 provided with a' hub 185 which is preferably freely mounted upon the reduced upper end: 14 of '-.a winding drum 15 these parts inaybe key'ed together-, if de- Althoug-h it is pre ferrediut o have the gear v freely mounted upon the winding .diruin,

sired. Thegear'and .pinionj'are mounted within .a ,gear housing open on. its underside andcornprising a top plate 16Lprovlided with a i peripheral flange 17;. the general iconfigir ration" of the flange being circular with "a protrusion 18 at its medial forwardside Lfor the purpose of: housing lthesmal l' driving pinion; I

Thetop plate. 16 ofthe gear housingy, as shownyisof rectangular fiforrnation andrpriovidedalong each of its side edges with an upstanding flange 19, which'1langes 'are bolted between the downwardly extending flanges of a pair of spaced'sil'ls 120 which extend-beneath and are boltedmto the ront cross' sill 21 of the car. A'reinforcing angle plate 22 is located =within the-anglebetween the front of the cross sill andxthe protrud ing frontgends of the longitudinalsills 2O toprovide additional 'secu'rement and reinforcenient at this point. {Ilhe 'firont edge of the housing top li es flush with the :frontends of the*longitudinalsills QOLan'd the brake shaft extends. downwardly"through the housing top at a-point in advance 0f the reinforcingangle plate 22, a's indicated The lower reduced end druin' shaft 1 5 is journaled through the web 23 0f a hanger I bia'eket comprising side legs 24 and a IIlBdlal flQnt leg25 r'eirifoPCCl-bjr a rib 26, whlch legs at their'n'pper endsi merge into a inits center front with an 'extension 28, configured to underlie the protruding wall substantially half circular rim"27' provided flange 18 of the gear housing and' hav-ing laterally disposed-lugs 29 to register with sirnilarly positioned lugs 30 on the gear housingvtowhich it is "connect-ed by means of vertical bolts 31, which also extend up .war dly through the top wall' ofth e housing.

The main portion of the b'racket rim follows the curvature of the main portion of the gear housing,'and the rim' is provided :near

each end withan outwardly: projecting rear l: I or lug 32 whichregisters witha similarly positionedflug 33 formed at eachside of the g a hQuSing,,bolts 34 being provided -to unite the parts together. P

I The anchor which moreparticularly forms the subject matter of the present invention will now be described in detail.

point near the'llllb, anaperture 35 of generally circular formationsurrounded on the upper side a slightlyelevated-boss 36,

f v1y less'diameter than theaper'ture and provided onfits edge, at a point slightlyto one side of thelneck 42, with, a' notch {L4 adapted when the anchor is being inserted to register with the .lug 37 By bringingthe lug and notch into register, the head ofthe anchor maybe slipped upwardly through the aper tureafter which the weight of the chainwill 'serve-tohold theanchor in decentered relation 'with respect to the aperture, as indiicated in Fig. 1', the head of, the anchor, in

.conjunctionvwith the shoulder and neck, con

3 stituting a hookwhich bears againstthe circularrrim of theaperture for holding the Iparts in assembled relation.

-In use, with the parts assembled la s indicated, when the brakes are to be applied, the brake shaft will be rotated by the usual hand wheel '(not shown) which will impart a relati'v'ely slowinovement' to thewinding gear radially distant from the axis ofthe wind ing gear-J v As the latter rotates, as, for '111- a wheel.v However, the slack i i-the chain will be quickly takenup by reasonof the fact that the tension will beyexerted from a 7 point stance in an anti-clockwise direction, the anchor will be mainta ned always in the line of 'draftestablished by; the pull of the chain, 1 and the' neck of the anchor will roll upon the .edge1j0f the-aperture asthe latter revolves around the axis of the gear, so that a swiveling .or turning of these parts with respect to one another will be occasioned, and this vwill f prevent anytkinking, vcrainpin'gor fouling of, the anchor chain, and will maintain the 7 links of the latter in direct relation to the line of dra ftat all times. i g: V

i-As the anchor iscarriedjaround with the gear, the chain will swing freely until its 'iforward end is' brought into contact with the drum l5, afterwhich the continued rotation of the gear wheel will swing the forward end The wind ing gear-.12 has formed' within it-s web, at a r the of the chain around the drum andulltiniately impart the necessary tension to set the brakes. If more than a single rotation of the gear wheelis required to'set the'brakes, the successive turns or convolution's of the chain around the drum will be evenly laid on in spiral relation to one another, and by mounting the drum for free rotation with re spect to the gearythe drum will afford a roll- .ing contact forthe convolutions of the chain,

whichisjdeemed a. better method of handling the chain than by means of a druin which is V keyed, to or rigidly' united with the gear.

The anchor is in effect a mo di fied'l ook particularly, designed to: co-operate witltthe winding gear under thelconditions indicated, and the headoif'the anchoris so configured "as 'to permitit to be 're adily inserted into -.Or removed from the aperture by suitable manipulation; However, the parts areso configuredand related that when the anchor has been inse ted,-the pulliof ,the'chain will I set the hook and preventaccidental displacement, and the relation; ofthelug 3 Z to the notch a l is such that as the gearis rotated,

these parts will recede more and more from registering relation, sothat under no conditions can the chain become; disconnected. Although the invention: asa wliole has been defined with considerable particularity, it, is not'the intention, unless: otherwise indicated in the claims, to limitthedeviceto the particular construction shown, since the same is susceptible of considerable modifioationrwithout departing froIn-the spirit of the'inventon, noris it the intention to limit the invention toa winding gear having a solid web, since obviouslythe webmight be perforated or assume the configuration of spokes, without substantial change in the relationship. of the parts hereinbefo're indicated.

1 claim: p u p ,1; Inv a chain anchor for brake gears, the combination of a winding gear provided with a decentei ed aperture, means for imparting rotation thereto, a drum with which the gear is associated, a brake chain, and a hook-like ,n einberconnected with the chain and having its free end entered through [said aperture, substantially as described 2. In, a chain; anchor for brake gears,'the

combination of .a winding; gear provided with a, decenteredaperture, means for im-k parting rotation thereto, .a drum with which the gear is associated, a brake chain, and, a hook-like member connected with the chain I and having its free end entered through said aperture, said free end being configured, torpermit passage through said aperture in one position only, substantially as described.

3. In a chain anchor for brake gears, the

- coinbination of a winding, gear provided with a decentered'aperture for imparting rotation thereto, a. drum "with which the gear "is associated, a brake chain, and a hook-like member connected with the chain and having its free end entered through said aperture, said free end being enlarged and configured ,to permit the passage through the aperture in one position only, and adapted under the tension of the chain to beheld out of co -incidental. registering relation with said aperture, substantially as described.

4; In a chain anchor for brake gears, the COIIlblIlltlOIl of a winding, gear provided with a decentered aperture, a driving pinion meshing with the winding gear, a shaft for imparting rotation to said pinion, a winding drum upon which the winding gear is centrally mounted, journal mountings for the gear, pinion and drum, a hook-like anchor comprising a loop portion terminating.

in a neck, and a dish-like head protruding laterally and rearwardly from the neck, a brake chain having one of its links entered through the loop, the relation of the head to' the aperture being such as to permitpassage of the head therethrough when in registering relation only and the weight of the chain serving to hold the neck in engagement with theperipher'y of the aperture when in use, substantially as described.

5. In a chain anchor for brake gears, the combination of a winding gear provided with a decentered generally circular aperture, a driving pinion meshing with the winding gear, a shaft for imparting rotation to said pinion, a' winding drunrupon which the winding gear centrally mounted, journa'l'mountings for the gear, pinion and drum, a hook-like anchor comprising a loop portion terminating. in a neck of reduced diameter, and a'disk-like head protruding laterally and rearwardly from the neck, a brake chain having one of itslinks entered through-the loop, the relation of the head to the aperture being such as to permit passage of the head therethrough when in registeringrelation only, and the weight of the chain serving to hold the neck in rolling engagement with the periphery of Y to the aperture of the gear, {substantially i as described;

combination of a rotatable shaft,rgear carried by, said shaft, a'pinion for rotating said gear, a hook like anchor in hooked en- 1 gagement with said gear, a chain, and means 7. In achain anchor for brake gears, the} for securing a linkof said chain to said an- I chor, said chain being mounted so as to be .wound around said shaft after initial rotation of said gear, substantially as described.

ARTHUR 'F. OCONNOR; 

